BHLDN and other pretty things

Thanks to the lovely ladies who will be standing next to me on my wedding day, I had such a special day on Saturday.  I know my last post was a bit of a downer, but hey, it's the truth.  Saturday I got to experience a little wedding planning bliss though {it's not always terrible!}  We started the day trying on bridesmaids dresses and the girls making me laugh uncontrollably.  My original idea of purchasing all different cocktail dresses in complementing colors was a bust.  They either didn't fit right, the colors were off together, they weer too short, etc.  So, off to Jenny Yoo and J. Crew.  Afterwards we checked out BHLDN, Anthro's bridal boutique that just opened it's doors in Chicago.  Yes, it's exactly as amazing as you'd expect {images below}.  I ended up finding my wedding shoes here!  They have a great selection of vintage inspired jewelry, cocktail/bridesmaids dresses, off-the-beaten-path wedding gowns and decor.  Even if you're not engaged, it's worth checking out.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at lunch and shopping, of course. There may have been Sprinkles cupcakes and prosecco at Fred's - why put an end to a great day?

 

{Clutches at BHLDN}

 

{so pretty!}

 

{Wedding gowns - BHLDN}

 

{decor room - BHLDN}

 

 

{My shoes!}

 

{with pom pom}

 

{J. Crew jewels - amazing right now}

 

{fireplace at Tory Burch Chicago, so glam}

Wedding Wednesday

I have to admit that from time to time during this wedding planning process, I've found myself getting incredibly overwhelmed. I generally am not a fan of events that have a lot of build-up around them.  The expectations are too high, I'm upset when things don't turn out perfectly, the way I had planning in my head and I'm far too controlling to let anyone do the planning for me.

This may be surprising to my friends and family because I love helping others plan their special day, I'm obsessed with details, flowers, food, hosting parties, etc. Planning my own has been a completely different story.  Every decision has more weight.  We're trying so hard to make our wedding unique, a day that reflects us as a couple.  The idea of a completely traditional and formal affair is just not us.  

There have certainly been times throughout the past few months when we've considered eloping/going to the courthouse/grabbing our immediate family and closest friends and just going for it.  In the end, we decided that it's important to us to have the people who love and support us surrounding us on our big day. 

So, now I'm trying to truly enjoy this time of our engagement.  I know that it will be gone before we know it, we're already just over six months out. I have to step back and remember that when it's all said and done, I will be married to a wonderful man.

image via

Wedding Wednesday: The Registry

Lets be honest, a lot some elements of wedding planning really aren't that fun.  Things that are fun: the dress & registering.  We made our way to Williams Sonoma a couple Saturdays ago to get some goodies up on our registry.  We've lived together for a couple years, and I love to cook, so we've pretty much purchased the things we've needed as we've gone.  BUT there are a couple things I've been holding out for: a Le Creuset dutch oven, a Kitchen Aid mixer, and some killer All Clad stainless steel cookware. We threw some other fun stuff in there too. The fiance was excited for two things: an incredible hulk pancake flipper and a french press.  Both of which are on our registry.

Wedding Wednesday: Inspiration

These are just a few images that have given me endless inspiration for the big day.  The photo at the top is actually our venue - inspirational on its own, an old, rustic loft in an industrial district here in Chicago.  It just screams for white pillar candles, right? With the details, I wanted to contrast this raw space with some softer textures and a little golden glam.  

All images via my pinterest wedding board

Wedding Wednesay: Our Photographer

We've checked another item off our planning list this past weekend - we hired our photographer!  After working with Tim and his wife, Bethany at Cara's wedding in Napa this past October, we knew they were incredibly talented.  They have a photo-journalistic style, which was what we were looking for. They say they don't care much for predictable shots, but rather love to get people being themselves, interacting and making each other laugh.  Their work definitely reflects this.  We met with them on Saturday over coffee and they are just the cutest couple {recently married in August!}. We can't wait for them to capture our big day. If you're in the market for a photographer - engagement, wedding, baby, etc. - I recommend you check them out: Tim Tab Studios.

 Oh, and please be sure to mention my name if you do happen to give them a call.

 {This is the lovely couple - photo from their site}

Here's some of their work from Cara and Nathan's wedding. 

 

{See me in there? Second from the left}

Wedding Wednesday (on Thursday): The Public Hotel

I've been pretty off this week, so I'm going with it and posting a Wedding Wednesday on a Thursday.  When choosing a hotel for the night of our wedding, we wanted something very "Chicago" with a little history, but still modern and clean.  Enter The Public.  You've heard me rave about the Pump Room and my love affair with the decor.  So it seemed natural to book a block for our guests, some fabulous space for us to get ready in and a lux spot to retreat to at the end of the night. 

Set in a 1926 landmark building in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, the first
outpost of Ian Schragers PUBLIC brand bears the hoteliers perfectionist signature in everything from the custom-designed lighting and no color palette to the cluster of chandeliers and the giant clock with a backward-moving hand in the lobby.

Overall, the effect is soothing, but the historic Pump Room  onetime host to the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra  draws a lively crowd for its reimagined, ultrachic interiors and Jean-Georges Vongerichtencrafted menu.

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Shoot

I'm so excited to share with you a few of my fave shots from our engagement session with the ever so talented Matthew Morrison. Matt's a friend of ours who spent the day with us running around Chicago to some of our favorite spots. We are so thrilled with the outcome.

Another piece of exciting news... we've decided on a date! September 15, 2012. Always wanted a fall wedding.

Wedding Wednesdays

So I'm going to hop on the bandwagon with Wedding Wednesdays. First topic: the venue.

When I imagine my wedding day, it's absolutely in the fall. We're hoping to secure a date in October 2012 and thinking something lofty and oh-so-Chicago. Here are some of the locations we've been scouting out:

Prairie Production

Room 1520
Gallery 1028
Greenhouse Loft
A New Leaf (aka my dream venue)